what small animal for a 7 year old?

[petemurphy]

so the missus reckons we should get a hamster or something for our daughter as shes an only child and it will do her good to look after it. i have some reservations though. we both work all day and i dont sleep well so reading about how noisy hamsters are am put off a tad.

any advice or what to get or a resounding dont do it? would love a dog but with both working we cant.

thanks

[Wombat3]

Guinea Pig.

Will only live about 3-4 years & unlike a hamster, if it gets out you have half a chance of finding & catching the thing!

Pretty easy to look after & can be handled

[anonymous-user]

Hamsters aren’t especially noisy although ours was kept in the bathroom at night for this reason. There’s a risk your daughter will lose interest in it after a few weeks so it becomes your problem and if you don’t change the bedding regularly they stink.

Get her a Goldfish.

[condor]

I'd suggest a cat, then you can also look after it if needed, and cat's are also fairly independant.

[moorx]

Wombat3 said:

Guinea Pig.

Will only live about 3-4 years & unlike a hamster, if it gets out you have half a chance of finding & catching the thing!

Pretty easy to look after & can be handled

Potentially this, but please read up about their needs and don't get just one - they need to live as pairs or more. Either two females or two males. They need a good sized hutch, whether indoors or outdoors, and can live longer than 4 years.

https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/caring-you...

[smileymikey]

Rats are brilliant pets. They love attention and are very intelligence

[Wombat3]

moorx said:

Wombat3 said:

Guinea Pig.

Will only live about 3-4 years & unlike a hamster, if it gets out you have half a chance of finding & catching the thing!

Pretty easy to look after & can be handled

Potentially this, but please read up about their needs and don't get just one - they need to live as pairs or more. Either two females or two males. They need a good sized hutch, whether indoors or outdoors, and can live longer than 4 years.

https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/caring-you...

All true a bit of research assumed & required before taking on any animal

[Wombat3]

condor said:

I'd suggest a cat, then you can also look after it if needed, and cat's are also fairly independant.

...and can live for 15+ years. Big commitment for a first pet

[BoRED S2upid]

wormus said:

Hamsters aren’t especially noisy although ours was kept in the bathroom at night for this reason. There’s a risk your daughter will lose interest in it after a few weeks so it becomes your problem and if you don’t change the bedding regularly they stink.

Get her a Goldfish.

Yours might not have been noisy but this isn’t my experience or anyone else I know who has made this mistake chewing on its bars for hours at 3am running around it’s damn wheel at god knows what ungodly hour damn things.

Get her a fish.

[stuartmmcfc]

We’ve had 4 hamsters ( one after the other) over the last few years and , despite them being next door in my daughters room, I haven’t found them particularly noisy.

[stuartmmcfc]

We’ve had 4 hamsters ( one after the other) over the last few years and , despite them being next door in my daughters room, I haven’t found them particularly noisy.

[HOGEPH]

stuartmmcfc said:

We’ve had 4 hamsters ( one after the other) over the last few years and , despite them being next door in my daughters room, I haven’t found them particularly noisy.

Don't buy them instruments...

[bexVN]

Rats (always get two, preferably males, tend to be more friendly)

Look into Dumbo rats.

Not long living unfortunately but with early handling extremely friendly and responsive to people and not as frightened of everything like Guinea Pigs can be. They can be taught tricks if your daughter is committed enough.

However Always remember that as adults you are legally responsible for the care of any pet and must be prepared to check on them daily not rely on your daughter (children cannot be held accountable for a pets care until they are 16) Sadly in my job we see too many small pets too late because parents have left the care to their children and the children haven't twigged the pet isn't eating as well or as lively, soon enough.

[Dinoboy]

HOGEPH said:

Don't buy them instruments...

That made me laugh!

[Nightmare]

I would personally say definitely not rabbits of guinea pigs. Require much more space and care than hamsters and if small child gets bored of them you’ll be doing the looking after.

Dwarf hamsters are awesome and only last a few years.....but do tend to be on the nibbly side. I have a pair at the moment and they are delightful, have very different personalities and actively like being handled. My last ones were like furry piranha. Syrian hamsters don’t usually seem to be very keen on being handled and most kids like interactive pets IME

Gerbils and rats would be my suggestions. Shortish lives and usually very interactive as they aren’t as scared of stuff as bunnies and guineas. My only concern with rats would be they are such amazing personalities that their death will be particularly hard on a kid....

[Nightmare]

P.s. and as Moore said Guinea pigs usually last much longer than 4 years. My first one made it to 14.

[Tango13]

BoRED S2upid said:

wormus said:

Hamsters aren’t especially noisy although ours was kept in the bathroom at night for this reason. There’s a risk your daughter will lose interest in it after a few weeks so it becomes your problem and if you don’t change the bedding regularly they stink.

Get her a Goldfish.

Yours might not have been noisy but this isn’t my experience or anyone else I know who has made this mistake chewing on its bars for hours at 3am running around it’s damn wheel at god knows what ungodly hour damn things.

Get her a fish.

A Great White shark is a fish right?

[Lotobear]

My daughter had guinea pigs - they are lovely things and really enjoy being handled.

She also had hamsters - but always escaping and they do bite.

But don't get either animal if you also keep terriers. Regretably both guinea pigs and hamsters eventually met their end in a whiskery Lakeland terrier's muzzle - the terriers never gave up over two years until they'd had them.

[dudleybloke]

smileymikey said:

Rats are brilliant pets. They love attention and are very intelligence

This. Best rodents to keep by a long way. They love attention and don't bite as a general rule.

[Caddyshack]

Rats are great. Hamsters are nocturnal and preyed upon from above (birds of prey) in the wild so are scared and defensive a lot of the time.

Bearded Dragons tolerate humans and are interesting.